Phonetic alphabet
The phonetic alphabet is the set of code words used to spell letters out loud on the radio: "Alfa" for A, "Bravo" for B and so on. Many letters sound alike over a noisy channel, and B, D, E, P, T and V are nearly indistinguishable through static. Spelling a call sign as "Kilo Delta Four Alfa Bravo Charlie" removes the doubt.
The standard list is the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, adopted by the ICAO in 1956 and used by the ITU, aviation, the military and most amateurs worldwide. The words were chosen to be pronounceable by speakers of many languages, which is why some spellings look odd: "Alfa" and "Juliett" are deliberate.
The alphabet
| Letter | Word | Letter | Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alfa | N | November |
| B | Bravo | O | Oscar |
| C | Charlie | P | Papa |
| D | Delta | Q | Quebec |
| E | Echo | R | Romeo |
| F | Foxtrot | S | Sierra |
| G | Golf | T | Tango |
| H | Hotel | U | Uniform |
| I | India | V | Victor |
| J | Juliett | W | Whiskey |
| K | Kilo | X | X-ray |
| L | Lima | Y | Yankee |
| M | Mike | Z | Zulu |
Numbers are spoken as digits, with "niner" for 9 (to separate it from "five" and from the German "nein") and sometimes "fife" and "tree" in aviation. Hams normally just say the numbers.
When to use it
- Always when giving your call sign for the first time, when conditions are poor, or when the other station asks you to repeat.
- When spelling names, places and email addresses in a contact.
- Not for every word. Spelling out "Melbourne" phonetically to a station that heard it perfectly wastes time.
Experienced operators use the standard words. Making up your own ("K as in Kentucky") is a long tradition, and DX operators sometimes use place names deliberately ("Kilowatt Delta Four America Boston Canada") because they cut through pile-ups, but the standard set is what everyone understands.